You can hear my heart break
by dragonheartt
Summary: When Connor goes missing, Abby must convince a very intelligent clone of connor to think freely, keep the clone away from helen, and find her missing husband, before it's too late. (picture-prompt)
1. Chapter 1: Cold

AN: Inspired, and built around a picture._ I've been told this fic's heartbreaking? ;D _

_(pic in the title image and also a link on my profile page!)_

* * *

Abby suddenly stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath. It was a little hysterical. She had good reason, to be honest. She was trembling. She was strong, she could defend herself.

It was just hard to want to hurt someone when they looked just like your missing husband. He was a clone - despite the fact that Helen seemed to have improved her technology, the clone still seemed disconnected with the world. No emotions. She knew, rationally, that he would do whatever Helen had asked - no, commanded - of him. But the chocolate brown eyes were his, everything about him read_ her Connor_.

Except the fact that he had been brusk with her all that evening - she'd thought Connor had come home, maybe he'd just gotten lost or drunk or something, she didn't really know - and then they'd driven out to the middle of nowhere. Her phone lay smashed somewhere behind them. She hadn't taken a black box with her; why would she? She loved Connor, he loved her. This was _not_ Connor. He'd turned dark and menacing and she'd panicked, because he wasn't like this. He wouldn't pull a knife on her.

The one thing she thanked Helen for was in not giving him a gun.

Behind her the Connor clone rolled up his sleeves, his mind mostly blank, focused on the job at hand. He didn't know, could not understand.

She took a gasping, deep breath, shut her eyes, and slowly turned around, opening them to see the man who looked so much like the love of her life that it was utterly unfair.

"Connor - " She bit her lip. "I know you're just a clone, but please, won't you listen to me? You really, really don't have to do this." She thought maybe, maybe she could reason with him. Maybe make that connection. G-d knew what she would do with him if it worked in her favor: she couldn't imagine giving up on looking for her Connor, making do with this substitute. It was highly unlikely anyway.

"I'm sorry. I really do." He said in a tone that didn't sound sorry at all - short and clipped and unConnor-like. She stared at him, heart in her throat.

"Please?"

_**FIN...**_


	2. Chapter 2 : Hope

The Connor Clone looked at the woman with white-blonde hair, dark eyes dull. He recognized her from the photos Helen had showed him, and Helen's instructions were to kill this woman. She was important to a man named Connor. He was apparently a clone of this man, though the words did not quite connect to the clone. There was no reaction to the words, no relief or upset. He was not an individual, he was a thing, to take orders and follow them through. He had done so, up until the woman had tried to get away. He had not taken the gun from the car, but the knife. A dim recognition that there was some give to Helen's orders did not create much reaction in the clone, either. He did not spare it thought, rather got out of the car and followed this Abby on foot.

* * *

She was not cornered, but she turned around to face him regardless. Again, a dim recognition: that she was brave, and admiration for that, but it was not enough to stop him.

"Please." She pleaded. He hesitated, keeping a close eye on her.

"I can't." He told her, frowning. He did not understand, couldn't. This whole life-and-death thing was abstract concepts to the clone. He may've been brighter than the cleaner clones - thanks to both Helen and the fact that he was a clone of a brilliant man - but he knew nothing but what he had been told.

* * *

Abby glared at the clone, shifting into a fighting stance.

"You know what? Fine. You don't think you can fight her orders, that's fine, but I'm stronger than Connor, and you're just a clone. I can beat you with my eyes shut!" Abby wondered at the faint look of hurt in his dull eyes, but then gave herself a mental shake. She was imagining it. She didn't want to have to hurt him - he looked like her Connor, and he was a clone with no free will. But he was dangerous.

"I..." That was interesting. "I wish I could. I don't think you should be hurt. Or your Connor."

She gaped at him. "Then try! Try to fight her! If you don't think it's right, stop!" Abby said, hopeful and cautious at the same time. He hesitated again.

* * *

"Because I don't know how." Or even what - he'd been told what to do, not anything about life, the universe, and everything. He blinked, wondering where that line came from. He'd not been told that before. What was it from?

"If you put down the knife and let me go, once I rescue Connor, we'll help you be your own person." She told him. The clone looked at her, blinking slowly.

"This is what I know."

"C'mon, just take a step outside of your comfort zone, and don't listen to Helen for once."

"You say this like it's easy." He said, brow furrowed. Dropping the knife on purpose, letting her go on purpose. These were not things he knew, or understood. But... He stared at his hand for a long moment.

The knife fell from his hand, landing in the grass with a dull-sounding thump. A small smile curled the edge of his mouth, and the clone raised his head to meet Abby's gaze.

"I know where he is." He said. He wasn't sure how, but now that he thought about it, he knew exactly where Connor was. The clone smiled at her, though it faded when Abby didn't smile back. "Nevermind." He told her, forcing himself to turn around. Going with her would be easier. She would keep an eye on him, stop Helen's orders from making him take up the gun or a knife and hurting her. The clone didn't want to, and it was hard for him to understand why, but he knew with certainty that he should not be left alone. Her soft footsteps reached his ears, and a hand was on his arm.

"Look, I... I'd actually rather you came, too. And if you know where he is, you can lead me."

He slowly turned around. "You trust me?" He asked.

* * *

The connor clone's eyes looked a little less dull, now. She'd even caught that hurt puppydog look again. It was odd, because he was Connor and yet he wasn't. She wanted to trust him, and yet knew that it was dangerous to do so.

When he mentioned knowing where Connor was, his eyes lit up in an achingly familiar way. The smile was her Connor's. The clone's voice was closer to Connor's, now, as well. But this wasn't Connor and she couldn't bring herself to let her smile show.

His muttered 'nervermind' made her give in.

The look in his eyes when he turned back 'round to face her made Abby's heart leap. She took a deep breath, stufing the reaction away but making sure she didn't upset him again. There was a level of curiosity to his voice now; it wasn't as hollow and flat-sounding.

"Not completely." She admitted. How could a bloody clone manage the puppydog eyes of doom?! "But enough. I'd be happier knowing where you are, than not. And to be honest, like I said, you're no match for me." Even after she and Connor had been the cretaceous for a year she'd still been able to beat him in kickboxing. A clone was an exact replica. "And I'll need your help to find Connor, anyway." She admitted.

Somehow, he looked happier. She managed a small smile for his sake, and turned to walk back to the car.

"Not the car." She paused and looked back, confused. He seemed panicky.

"What? Why?"

"There's a gun in there." She blinked; surprised that he was telling her. Well, that was one way to prove he was on her side now. The clone didn't seem to have any ideas on how else to get wherever it was they were going, though.

"Where is Helen keeping him?" She asked.

* * *

He hesitated, unsure now. He didn't know in facts and words, so much, as it was a feeling. A pull towards the man he was a clone of. He turned in a slow circle - the clone wasn't sure how he'd thought of doing that - and paused.

"That way. I don't know exactly where. It would be an abandoned storage facility or something like that." The clone said, slowly. Abby raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I just know where he is, not _where_ he is." The Connor clone attempted to explain, gesturing wildly.

Abby hesitated, clearly thinking it over. The clone held still, distracted for a moment by the sounds of birds and squirrels in the trees. With his breaking free of Helen's commands, he found he had a natural sense of curiosity – clearly from Connor, because he was just a clone, and he wasn't natural. He had to tell that to himself, because he was really liking this life thing, but he was not important. Not in the whole scheme of things.

* * *

"Oh, alright, it's better than nothing. It's a bit like a homing beacon, more than literal directions, I'm guessing?" She said after a moment of contemplation.

The clone nodded, but she wouldn't place any bets that he'd completely understood her.

"So, the gun's in the car… but I'll remove it and toss it somewhere, and then I'll drive, yeah?"

"Okay. I will try and give the correct directions." The clone got a funny look on his face, and then completely surprised her – and possibly himself – by behaving in a very connor-ish way. "Turn left at the next light!" He said in a funny voice, clearly pretending to be a GPS.

She couldn't help but burst out laughing, and if there was a slightly hysterical edge to it, well, she had good reasons.

* * *

TBC!

AN: Someone wanted me to continue this story, and inspiration hit, so here you go! I'm rather nervous about the clone's pov - which is why i wrote it this way rather than all from abby's or all from his. What do you think?


	3. Chapter 3 : Connor

He didn't know why he'd said that, nor why he'd said it the way he had. He was unsure of her reaction, but it seemed to be a good one. He liked the sound, though he wasn't sure why, and felt his lips curl up in a smile.

"We should go, then?" He said, clearing his throat and mentally flailing. He was out of his depth here.

Abby gave one more chuckle and smiled at him - more kindly than before, and for some reason he was happy about that - and then nodded.

* * *

He nodded in response and started walking in the vague direction of the car, and Abby quickly caught up so she could walk next to him. She trusted his own intentions, but she didn't trust whatever influence Helen still had over him. Rome wasn't built in a day, as the saying went: so a clone could not be freed completely this swiftly.

She was surprised by how much more like Connor he seemed, now that he had lost some of the robotic-ness. But it was a bit sad, not only because he most definately wasn't her Connor, but also because the poor clone had no idea of why he behaved the way he did, or much about the world around him at all. Maybe. Abby took a guess at how he felt.

"Bit like the blind leading the blind, yeah?" She said, wanting to fill the silence as they walked. Both of them were walking rather swiftly, but she'd run a good long distance from the car when he was pursuing her.

The clone looked at her, blinking.

"What?"

"Nevermind." She told him, shaking her head.

* * *

_Dark, stuffy, and cold. The best summation of his cel he coudl come up with at present. Connor leaned his head against the wall, and shut his eyes. He hoped Abby was comign to find him - surely it wouldn't be too difficult to find him, right? _

_Surely, when he hadn't shown up for dinner last night, she would've noticed something was amiss, and simple deduction would've led them to Helen._

_Except she was supposed to've been dead, killed by a mix of a raptor and a cliff in the wrong time period for the both of them. He wondered how she'd managed to for all intents and purposes, come back from the dead._

_It kinda wasn't fair._

_He shifted, ignoring the irritation from the manacle on his right wrist that was chained to the wall. He'd tried to get the thing off of his wrist with his left hand, but he'd only managed to rub his skin till it turned red and began to hurt._

_He could move around to a certain extent, but not enough to inspect the series of thin, horizontal windows placed near the ceiling on the other side of the... cell. That was the best word for for it._

_He'd been walking home, whistling and not paying attention at all, from the video store, eager to get home and enjoy a movie night with his wife. His lack of attention to his surroundings had been to his detriment, as he'd seen a blur out of the corner of his eye, and then what looked like a taser touched his shoulder and Connor had only had time to silently scream in pain before he'd blacked out._

_He'd woken up in here. Helen had visited a few hours ago, but she hadn't said much, just gloated about his capture and laughed at the look of fury on his face when she'd mentioned Nick._

_He hated her._

_She'd had some of her clones - the cleaner clones again, though how she still had them, he wasn't sure - walk by every so often, and one of the times, food and water had been left._

_But that had been a while ago, and Connor was not one for inactivity._

_"Where are you, Abbs?"_

* * *

The quick pace soon progressed into running, because Abby couldn't waste time dawdling and talking when her husband was in trouble. She didn't know for sure if he was in immediate danger or not, of coruse, but he had been kidnapped by Helen. Bloody. Cutter. And she meant danger, so she wasn't taking any chances. Plus, the woman had sent a clone to kill her, which clearly meant bad news for all involved. There always was when Helen was involved.

* * *

They reached the car, and Abby got in first, telling the clone to turn away so she could get rid of the gun. He complied easily, even shutting his eyes. He didn't know why, but he just knew he did not want to hurt Abby, or connor.

Saying that in his mind felt weird, because Helen had told him that he was to respond to being called connor, but he knew that he wasn't the man, he was just his copy.

* * *

Abby had said she was going to throw the gun away, but on the way back to the car, she'd realized it could be helpful.

Helen would surely be armed, and loathe as Abby was to actually shoot anyone or anything, if the woman threatened her - or her connor - Abby was going ot do whatever it took to protect herself and the love of her life from harm.

After she told him to turn around - and the clone even closed his eyes, for added precaution, which she appreciated, and it was a good sign that he was becoming more free thinking - Abby took the gun out of the glove compartment and searched for a good place to hide it. Abby took a few steps away from the vehicle and picked up a pinecone laying on the ground, taking it back with her. She kept the door open, and after hiding the gun in a safe place, Abby tossed the pinecone away, nodding a little at the thump it made as it vanished within tall grass and thick bushes on the ground. She might trust the clone, to a point, but she didn't want him ordered to take it from her or something like that, which he could if he knew where it was. Helen's influence on the clone was making her paranoid, but whatever.

"Okay, you can come in now." She told the clone, settling into the driver's seat.

* * *

"Okay, turn here, I think? Connor's in this direction..." The clone said tentatively, unsure how to phrase it. The connection between himself and the real connor was not a very solid thing, even to him. It was tenuous and hard to give clear directions towards.

"Alright." Abby said, biting her lip as she made the turn and then switched lanes. The road wasn't too busy at this time of day.

"Erm... No, no... too far left now..."

"We can exit back onto the street in a bit, this is faster, even if it isn't the exact right direction."

"Right." He agreed, though he couldn't be sure. Still, Abby knew what she was doing, directionally, and he knew where Connor was, as if the man was a lighthouse and he was a ship at sea. Where had that metaphor come from?

* * *

_Was Helen trying to drive him insane by way of cabin fever, or something?! Connor was irritated and restless, wanted to move around but could not go very far, and his muscles ached from being tased earlier and from his current inactivity. _

_He was, of course, happy that she didn't seem to want to kill or tortue him or anything._

_Yet, a little voice in his head added pessemistically._

_Where was Abby? _

_A terrible thought occured to him then, something that he determinedly tried to pretend was not a possibility. That_

_soemthing could have happened to Abby, that Helen had done something ot his Abby..._

_Why was she keeping him locked up like this? He would understand if she needed his help on something related to the anomalies - because they had quickly come to realze, at the ARC, that the device he'd recently began work on was clearly - paradoxically so - a prototype of the anomaly opening device that they'd used to get back home. But Helen hadn't demanded his help on anything, hadn't even visited his cell since the first time._

_She'd taken his watch, and destroyed his black box. His cell phone was still on the table in the lounge at the flat, probably flashing with unread messages and missed calls._

_Yes, Connor was very confused, and very worried. And now he was hungry, too. Wonderful._

* * *

**TBC**

**AN: hmmm, wonder what helen's plans are? anyone wanna take a guess? Or about how she's "back from the dead" ? ) :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Orders

_Helen smirked as she stood outside the small cell. Within, Connor was clearly becoming more and more irritated and worried by the minute. Everything was running according to plan. Almost everything. _

_Where was that darn Connor clone, anyway? He should have been back awhile ago. She hoped he hadn't been bested by barbie - Abby Temple, that is. He was replaceable, of course, but she needed Connor to do something for her..._

* * *

Abby pressed her foot down on the gas pedal, making the car dart past and around slower vehicles.

"How far?"

"Hmm?" She took a quick glance, and smiled a little before focusing back on the road and cars. Just like the real Connor, the clone didn't like fast driving: his eyes were closed tight and his hand had a vice-like grip on the armrest near the door.

"How close are we to Conn?"

"Oh, erm..." He paused. "We're nearly there! But more to the right..."

"Okay, good. I'll just get off here and we'll take a couple of smaller roads." Abby muttered, carefully changing lanes and turning down the exit ramp at speeds far over the speed limit.

Oh, she hoped there were no cops about.

The phone rang. Abby swore under her breath and reached for her mobile, blindly searching for it. The clone reacted immediately, pushing her hand away and picking up the mobile.

"At the speed we're going, you'd best concentrate, Abby. I'll answer it."

"Fine." He nodded and flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

''Connor? Jess, Connor answered- yes, Connor-'' Becker's voice came on the line.

"No, no, I'm not Connor. I'm a clone-" He tried to explain, and was then cut off by Captain Becker once more.

''What?! Where is Abby?'' Becker demanded.

"Wait, let me explain! Abby's here, we're heading to find Connor. Helen has your friend, and Abby helped me to be free of Helen." He told the other man, nervously. Becker didn't answer for a moment, so he took the time to check on the strange link to the real Connor Temple. He was a little more sure of it now - because they were getting closer. He wondered what it would be like to meet the man face-to-face.

The clone wasn't sure he wanted to do that.

* * *

Connor growled in irritation, shaking the arm with the manacle on it so the chains clanked and clicked against the floor and each other.

"Helen!" He yelled suddenly, "Helen, I know you're there! I know you're doing this on purpose!" I just don't know why, he added silently.

No response.

He began to sink back against the wall, sighing, when a sudden click made him straighten.

The door had been unlocked. It was opened slowly.

Helen stood in the doorway, framed rather dramatically by backlighting. She entered, standing just out of Connor's reach.

"Huh, you know, I'd almost forgotten you were here, Connor." She said in a mild tone, almsot as if they were taking a stroll in the park. Nonchalant.

"No you bloody well didn't." He growled back at her, glaring. She came a little closer.

"I'm sure you want to know what's going on, don't you?"

"Understatement of th' year, Helen." Connor informed her.

"Well, no reason to be like that, is there?! Oh wait, there is, isn't there?" She said with a smirk, watching Connor grow tense.

"Shove off."

"I thought you wanted to talk to me, pretty boy?" She practically purred at him. Connor made a face.

"I must've been goin' insane." He muttered. Helen chuckled, but there was little humor in it as she approached him.

Connor looked at her in alarm, scrambling to his feet. The chain pulled taut, leaving him hlaf-stnading and glaring at

her angrily.

Helen was having fun. In most situations the boy - though he wasn't really a boy anymore, was he? - was cheerful and

even-tempered. She was having fun poking at his temper though.

"Hmm, seems like you're in a bit of trouble, aren't you?"

"I don't need your 'elp!" He protested. "Why don't ya just tell me why I'm 'ere an' we c'n get it all over with, yeah?"

His tone was more calm now. Pity, that.

"Eventually."

* * *

"Put it on speaker!" She hastily cut off the 'conn!' that would normally fit after those words, focusing on driving.

She pressed harder on the gas pedal, and the cloen squeaked in alarm.

"Right." He did so, pushing the button, and Becker's voice - and, muffled, Jess' in the background - filled the car.

_''Where are you guys? You don't have your blackbox with you Abby.''_ Becker asked.

"That's because of me." The clone said, apologetically she thought. Clearly Becker couldn't hear the different tone to the clone's voice, though.

_''What? Oh, nevermind. Abby, why's the clone with you?''_

"He is with me because he knows where Connor is." Abby said shortly, not wanting to get into her reasons at the moment.

She had too many reasons, and at the moment Becker clearly thought very little of the clone.

"She's driving well above the speed limit. Maybe questions should be for later?" Did she detect a hint of snappishness to the connor clone's voice? Maybe. Becker would probably say she was seeing and hearing the traits she wanted to see and hear. Becker could go complain to someone else.

''_Yeah, alright. Where are you?''_ Becker asked.

Jess piped up. _''We can send a team to help out, if you'd like?''_

"Sure" Abby said, not ready to begrudge any help when it came ot Helen cutter - at the same time as the clone said,

"No thanks." Abby looked at him in astonishment, and the people on the other end of the line fell silent.

"Why not?" She asked, wary now. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, but she didn't really trust him all that much.

He blinked, then frowned.

"I'm not sure. I have a plan, I think."

"What kind of plan?" Abby asked, cautiously.

"Maybe I should start with explaining Helen's original plan?" He suggested, nervously.

_''That'd be good, yeah.''_

Abby had managed to forget it wasn't just her and the clone in the car- well, technically it was, but the conversation still had ot include Jess and Becker. And she would bet a bar of chocolate to Jess that Lester was nearby, worried for Connor even if he wasn't saying it in so many words.

"Erm, right. Sorry, I am only a clone... I don't know much about them behyond what Helen ordered me to do and explained in my presence, though."

"That's good enough, go on." She tried to focus on the road, but managed a quick smile for him. The smile was enough to convince him to continue.

"Right well, she told me..."

* * *

_Four weeks ago, Helen had stolen connor's dna from the flat - she'd broken in, taken hair off his pillow and a swab from a teacup in the kitchen he'd left out. Then she had goen through an anoamly to a fixed point in another timeline, in the future, where the lab to make the clones was. Four weeks ago, the clone had been made from connor's dna, stumbling blankly from a machine._

_Back through the anomaly, and some pilfered clothes of connor's later, the clone was standing before Helen. She told him the basics, what she felt he needed to know._

_"You are Connor Temple."_

_"I am Connor Temple." He mimicked, robotically._

_"This is Abby Temple, his wife." She told him, handing him a photograph of the blonde-haired woman. The cloen nodded, committing the face ot memory. "I want you to take her husband's place- because you are, for all intents and purposes, him - and then I want you to kill her." Helen told him. She explained further, and he accepted the orders without complaint or comment._

_"Then you will come back here, and you will personally tell the real connor that you killed his wife."_

_Up until that point, he had not questioned it. Helen was surprised when his brolw furrowed._

_"Why?"_

_"Because, what better way to break him? Not that it's improtant for you to know my reasoning!"_

_She wasn't sure what she thought of his question. On the one hand, he was clearly smarter, and more imaginative than her other clones, which meant he could respond to specific things without her ordering every last move. But that also meant that he might be too smart. She would have to add safeguard commands, to be sure._

Now Helen smirked, a predatory gleam in her eye as she looked at the real Connor Temple.

"You know, Barbie won't know what's hit her - and neither will the clone." Helen said in that same, nearly amiable voice. Connor's eyes widened.


	5. Chapter 5: Plans

AN: Sorry about how short this chapter is! Hopefully the next one will be longer! :Connor worries about Abby, and Abby worries about Connor. It's how these things go, for them. Helen's evil, the connor clone is as selfless as the real connor, and plans are made:

* * *

The clone gripped the armrest like it was a lifeline, trying not to look out the window of the car. Scenery - trees, houses, people - whipped past much too quickly.

Abby looked outraged, and he could understand. The wrongness of what helen had told him to do had caused him to question her orders in the first place. It was why he'd managed to break free, in his opinion.

"That's horrible." Jess's voice came over the phone, crackly and soft.

"I don't want to, but that is where my plan begins." The clone said slowly, looking at Abby nervously. She didn't glance his way, keeping her focus on driving at the moment.

_"You're going to let Helen think you're still following orders, and then sneak Connor out?"_ Becker guessed, a little more respect in his tone now.

"Yes. Abby will hide, while I talk to Helen, and then we will get Connor out."

"But what if she figures out you're lying?" Abby finally said, voice sounding strained. That hadn't occured to the clone, who frowned in worry. He hadn't thought about all the different possibilities. Thinking freely was hard, the clone mused.

"If she does, you'll have to do whatever you must to stop Helen - and possibly myself - and rescue your Connor."

"I don't want to hurt you, though!" Abby said, distressed.

The clone smiled a little, shaking his head.

_"I know you don't want backup, but I'm sending a team anyway. Matt, Emily, Becker and a few Sfs should be enough."_ Jess said, her voice turning professional - she clearly knew what she was doing. Helen hadn't had much information on the new ARC team, so the clone was learning about these people as they went.

* * *

"What do you mean? What about Abby?" Connor demanded, soulful eyes wide, like a deer in headlights. Helen almost snickered at that comparison. He was half-standing still, fists clenched and body tense.

"I'd advise you not to try anything, Connor - I'm sure your wrist will hurt if you try and reach me all the way over here." Helen told him, leaning against the opposite wall with a smug look on her face.

"Tell me what you've done ot Abby." His voice was hard and sharp, anger and fear ovious.

"You know, I would think she'd know the difference between a copy and the real thing, having lived with you for so long, but maybe she doesn't know you as well as she thinks." Helen taunted him, hinting at her plans. Connor paled, tugging at the chain again.

"Let me go!"

* * *

Abby hadn't said much, because in her mind's eye she could see it happening.

Her Connor, curled up in some cell somewhere, cold, hungry, and worried for her. And then the door would open, a man looking identically like him would enter.

And there would be her blood on his hands.

Connor would see this, hear a man who was an exact photocopy of him, tell him that he had killed his wife. It would break Connor. The knowledge that, had it happened, abby had died believing he had betrayed her, would hurt her Connor badly. She could imagine Connor's anguished expression at that realization, could imagine that his will would break. He would be lost, and alone.

The thought scared Abby. She made a promise to make sure that never had a chance to happen - for both Connor's, and the clone's, sakes.

...

She didn't want to have to hurt the clone, but he was right.

If Helen ordered him to do something, he might still be succeptible to it, and Abby would have to do what it took, even if that meant using her kickboxing skills on the poor man. Abby remembered the gun she had hidden before, and hoped she wouldn't have to use it. Except possibly on Helen.

* * *

TBC


	6. Chapter 6: Worry

"Let me go, Helen." He repeated, voice lower, edging on dangerous. Helen just laughed, shaking her head as she headed towards the door. He practically growled, moving towards her. The chain pulled him up short again, and he winced at the pain.

"This is going to be fun to watch. And afterwards, you'll help me by building the technicaly equipment I need." She told him, matter-of-factly. Connor shook his head roughly.

"No, I won't! I will not do anything for you! And if anythin' happens to Abby, if she dies, I have no intention of sticking around after." He knew, without a doubt, that if Abby was dead, he would not want to live another day.

"Oh, so it's that way then? Perhaps it might be best if I arrange for her to be held in tandem to force you to cooperate..." Helen said, smirking as she turned around and left the cell, shutting and locking the heavy door after her.

"Helen!" He didn't even know what he wanted to say, and he was hoping to get more out of her about her plans, if he had to just sit here. Connor sighed, sinking to the floor and leaning his head back, eyes closed, so it bumped into the wall lightly.

"Abby, just be safe." He murmered. "Please..."

* * *

"Okay, so the team's on the way, but it'll be _ages_ before they show up!" Abby said, pursing her lips as she thought.

"I hope it will be straightforward." The clone said, looking out the passenger window, forehead creased in worry.

Jess piped up again. "_I'm sure it will, but best to be on the safe side. Becker's gone to inform the others. Where are you right now?"_

Abby told the clone to look for a sign while she concentrated on driving, and a few moments later he caught sight of one, reeling the name off for Jess to scribble down.

_"Okay, I'm searching for abandoned buildings nearby..."_

"It's definately close. I think. Uhm... west, about 20 kilometers if I'm not mistaken.. the signal feels stronger." The clone said slowly. "I'm trying to suss out the exact words for it, but I have none that fit quite right."

_"It's okay, that's definately helpful c- Erm, yeah."_ Jess fumbled over the end of her sentence, and Abby could imagine her eyes wide._ "Sorry."_

"It's alright, Jess. I'm not about to have a panic attack or throw a fit 'cause you called the clone Connor. I did it enough earlier... Can't believe I did that." Her voice became softer, as if she wasn't even talking to anyone but herself. The clone answered her anyway, apologetically.

"I'm sorry. It is my fault, isn't it?"

"No. It's Helen's." Abby told him firmly.

"Right." He didn't believe her, not compeltely. He had a bad feeling about this, a niggling feeling like they should turn around right then and there. That heading towards Helen and Connor was like leaping into the fire.

* * *

"'bout fifteen minutes, at this speed." The clone said abruptly, and Abby glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What, did you just calculate that in your head, or..?"

"Er, sorta? Is that... bad?" He asked, clearly worried he'd made some sort of fau-pa. Abby held back the inapropriate giggles that threatened to burst free. Her husband was still missing and this man was genuinely worried about doing something wrong. It wasn't a time to be giggling, at all. But it was somehow funny despite all that.

"sorry, sorry." She said at his look, swallowing more laughter and shaking her head. "No, it's not bad. Connor does things like that all the time. And no, before you ask, no I don't want to know how. I'm smart, but having maths spoken out loud to me just messes with my head." She told him.

"Oh. Okay!" He brightened, like a child, the worry over that fading away. Earlier he'd looked downright dangerous. But right now, with that look on his face, he looked like a younger, more innocent Connor. Like he'd looked back before Stephen's death, when things were just fun and games. Maybe even before that, actually. She shook herself a little and focused on driving.

"Okay. Jess?" She asked.

_"Yes?"_

"How's it coming? Did you find anything plausible?"

_"Not yet..."_ The coordinator's voice trailed off. _"Oh! Wait, yes, just found one. Abandoned factory building about twenty two minutes from your last spot, though i'm sure you've moved from there._"

"Yeah, but there's about 15.. no, 12 minutes between us and him, according to.. yeah." Abby cleared her throat over the awkward moment, and then continued. "Uh, where exactly is it?" She may have said that she didn't mind people accidentally calling the Clone, 'Connor', but she could not bring herself to voluntarily call him that. He would need a name, if he meant to stick around. She filed that thought away. If- no, when - they rescued Connor, they could discuss what would happen with the Clone.

_"Hmm... you'll have to make a right turn at the next light- the road you're on becomes a more commercial area soon enough, though the light is some way before the more populated section- and then continue down that way until.. well, it should be pretty obvious, it's quite a large, in-your-face type factory." _Jess said, some of her normal cheer back. She clearly was sure this was going ot end well. Abby wished she could be as optimistic.

* * *

It was getting dark out now, which meant that his little cell was nearly pitch black. Connor had his eyes shut, not sleeping yet but attempting to.

He didn't like small enclosed spaces in broad daylight. In the dark, his latent claustrophobia bubbled to the surface, threatening him with panic attacks and hyperventillation. He tried not to think about it, instead shut his eyes as tight as he could and pulled up images of Abby to distract himself with. He had only been apart from her for a single day, but it was hard, especially when he had no idea what was happening outside of his cell.

His stomach grumbled in protest, reminding Connor that Helen hadn't had anyone bring him food since earler in the morning.

He was hungry, though compared to what they'd had to deal with a few times in the cretaceous it wasn't too bad. He was just afraid of how long Helen planned on leaving him in the cell without food or water. That was the priority, water. But he would not agree to anything Helen offered in exchange for water or food or even a blanket. It was chilly in there. Connor sighed again, biting his lip and concentrating. Remembering his and Abby's first kiss, and then moving on to the first kiss as 'boyfriend and girlfriend' in the cretaceous. He missed her; he needed to see her alive and okay. Since the Burton fiasco, they hadn't spent any sizeable length of time apart, until now.

* * *

AN: Woopsies! Heh, the spelling/grammatical/other errors have been corrected! Can't believe I forgot to proofread it... And hoefully the next chapter wont be too long in coming :)


	7. Chapter 7: Interruptions

Abby was out of the car almost as soon as she pulled up in front of the factory, taking a single moment to park the vehicle in a slightly less conspicuous place. She strode away towards the building, anger at Helen in her every step, determination to rescue her husband in every fiber of her being. Jess had told them she would expect a call back very soon, but that she was working on hacking the CCTV near the factory.

The Connor Clone was a step behind her, not quite as sure as she was, and rather more nervous than he'd let the others believe. He had a really, really bad feeling about this. But he was not used to speaking his mind; and Abby wanted to do things this way anyway. Who was he to argue with her decisions?

Abby marched right up to the door, but there was a heavy padlock on the shutter, and after a single tug on the lock, she turned around, looking at the clone, who stared straight back at her.

"This is defiantely the place?" She demanded. He nodded.

"Yes. He's inside. I also recognize the building, though not this side of it..."

"Is there a back entrance, then?" Abby asked, softening her tone a little.

"Yes... and Connor's that direction." He told her, biting his lip. She noticed that.

"What's wrong?" Suspicion colored her tone, and the Clone hesitated.

"It's just that... it feels like a... a trap...?" He wasn't sure, but it felt a bit like what a trap should... feel like. That even sounded well-strange in his own head. But he was relieved when she nodded, eyes bright and gaze razor-sharp. He should have kown that this woman was not going to blindly follow him; she still didn't trust him. That was good. He barely trusted himself.

"So we've got to find another alternate way in... hmm..." Abby turned back to the padlocked, shuttered, tall door in the wall, tugging at the lock again.

"Are there any tools in the boot?" The clone suggested, brows knitted together in thought.

Abby grinned at him, and ran back to it. A moment later, she returned with some tools in hand.

* * *

Jess's fingers flew across the keyboard, several windows of various purposes open across the screens. She glanced up as Becker and the team ran past, offering a brief smile, and then went back to work. She wanted to get visuals on Abby and the clone - and make sure that Helen's people wouldn't be able to make use of the CCTV. Any advantage she could give them would help.

"Yes!"

Of course, as things tend to go, the siren for an Anomaly started up at that same moment. Jess' face fell for a single second, before she swiveled towards the ADD's main screen, tapping at the keys.

"Becker?" She called him on the coms.

_"Anomaly? Where is it?"_

"It's..." Well, that was... interesting. Not necesarily good news, either.


	8. Chapter 8: Determination

Connor glared at the opposite wall of the empty cell, huffing angrily under his breath. He shut his eyes for a moment, running through options in his head. He didn't want to just sit here and wait for it; he hated being innefectual, and unknowing what was happening with Abby. He had a bad feeling he was both bait and prisoner. Helen had taken the black box and his cell phone, and his wrists were chained, but he really, really couldn't do nothing. He was better able to block out his claustrophobia with an idea in his head, determination making it easier to not panic. Connor first tried to twist his wrists in the chains, to see if there was any wriggle room. There wasn't which he'd thought there wouldn't be. He turned around, hands running along the surface of the wall until he felt the cold, rough chains attached there. He nodded contemplatively to himself, wrapping his hands around the 'root' of one of the chains, and pulling on that instead. This way, he wouldn't be injuring his wrists. His eyes had begun to adjust to the relative darkness, and he didn't see any changes at first. After a few more pulls, however, a small amount of plaster sprinkled his hands. A grin touched the corners of his lips.

_Don't you worry, Abbs._

* * *

_"Where is it, Jess?"_ Becker repeated.

"Oh, right. It's on the complete opposite side of town. You'll have to split up the team." Jess said, bringign up the map and typing something in the keyboard. Over the coms, she could hear Captai Becker talking to Mat, Emily, and the SF's.

_"Okay, Alpha team consists of myself, Emily, and half of the Sf's assigned to the main team. Matt will take the other half and head towards the anomaly."_ Becker told her.

"Alright, noting positions of teams alpha and beta. Now get going!"

* * *

"Bolt cutters?" The clone asked, looking at the tool held easily in Abby's hands.

"Yep. I'd wonder what professed Connor to leave bolt cutters in the boot of our car, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. So to speak." She paused. Connor'd always been a bit on the paranoid side, so actually, him putting bolt cutters in wasn't so completely irrational, for him. She felt a rush of affection for her husband surge, swiftly replaced with fear for him. "C'mon." Abby marched up to the lock and carefully positioned the bolt cutters with the top of the padlock between the two parts.

"Hopefully it'll work." He said quietly. She bit her lip.

"'Course it will." Whether either of them were talking about the bolt cutters or the whole plan, they weren't sure; they didn't want to be.

A moment later, a sharp 'snap' was followed by the clunk as the broken padlock dropped to the ground.

* * *

AN: Sorry about how short these chapters are! I'm not quite sure where I'm going with this, to be honest. As for Connor, well, I think he Would have a few moments of hopelessness/near-panic before he shook himself out of it and focused, so I made sure he didn't seem like a total 'damsel in distress'! And... the bit with Jess, I'm trying that out. I'm no great shakes at the characters besides Connor and Abby, but this story couldn't go anywhere with just them and mr clone there, yeah? Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	9. Chapter 9: Communications

Together they pulled the shutter open, and Abby watched as it clicked into place at the top, exposing a large open space that was mostly dark beyond a few feet. The Clone eagerly took a step forwards, oblivious to the possible dangers in his haste. Abby grabbed his sleeve and held him back. He looked at her in confusion.

"What? Are we not going in?" He asked, a soulfully puzzled look in the eyes that matched Connor's exactly. She couldn't help the smile at the clone's expression. She was feeling almost..._ fond_ of him.

"Yes, but we don't want to just run in there blindly, yeah?" She pulled two miniature torches out of her jacket pocket, handing one to the clone, who flicked it on and aimed the beam at the dark entrance. Abby did the same, sweeping the beam across the walls. "Okay, now we go in, but don't run ahead, alright?" The Connor Clone nodded.

"Right. Your Connor is waiting for us." He added.

Abby nodded in response, and entered, striding into the relative darkness, her torch held aloft so that the light cast its narrow beam along hallway. The clone paused a moment before following, and he sped up until he was walking alongside her, his own light aimed at the floor in front of their feet.

* * *

_"Jess, is the ADD's signal okay?"_ Matt's voice fizzed through the coms. Jess scrunched her face in confusion, pushing off so her chair swiveled and slid over to the main screen.

"Yes, why?"

_"The handhelds're acting up. I'm not sure why but i-s no-" fzzzsfsz._ The coms fizzled, and then fell silent. Jess stared at the screen, eyes wide in concern.

"Matt?! Matt Anderson, do you copy?!" Absolute quiet greeted her words. A single moment of panic before Jess forced herself to take charge of the situation. She swiveled and hopped out of her chair, locking the terminal temporarily with a few taps on the keyboard as she walked swiftly towards Lester's office.

"Lester-"

"Oh yes, you do know I have a door for a reason, miss Parker, do you not?" Lester turned around as she entered his office, dry wit softened by his fondness for the field coördinator.

"No time! Matt and Becker split up the team to deal with the anomaly alert and rescuing Connor, and I just lost contact with Matt!" She told her boss, biting her lip. Lester seemed to focus on her.

"What? Did he say anything before you lost contact?"

"Yes, he said that the handheld detectors were acting up, but I can't see how the two things could be related..."

Lester frowned contemplatively, pacing around his office.

"I would say Helen, as the Professor once said that anything unexplainable was most likely Helen's fault. Only she's concentrating on her imprisonment of Temple..." He paused. "Unless she can be in two places at once as well as back from the dead, I would surmise that it's anomaly interference. Why don't you run some of your analysis things on that infernal machine of yours, and i'll go alert the special forces in the wings, alright?" Lester soothed her, gesturing towards the ADD. "Go on, shoo."

Ever since the events of Phillip's attempt at Doomsday, Jess occasionally needed that sort of reassurance. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was fond of the whole team. He watched Jess as she nodded, having gotten herself under control again, and then made her way back to the ADD. He left his office, but Jess turned to look at him and then called over her shoulder,

"Actually, Lester, I'll just contact them over the PA system." He raised his eyebrows, let out a long-suffering sigh, and went back to his own office, where much less interesting papers and forms awaited him. He was concerned for Matt, of course. From inside his office, he could hear her calling the standby team of SFs together.

Why couldn't they have a calm day, where people didn't come back from the dead, his employees didn't get kidnapped, and there weren't clones of them running around?

* * *

Connor tugged at the chains again, harder this time, and grinned as more plaster fell. The bits of plaster falling onto his hands and lap had gone from little flakes to larger pieces about an inch long. The grin definitely had a triumphant air to it; there was progress. Connor knew that even if he managed to free his wrists, there was still the heavy door to his cell to get through. But at least it would be something towards freeing himself.

Another yank and he had to let go and flick away the plaster that had scattered across his hands. They were coated in white, and he rubbed them on his trousers, leaving dusty off-white handprints on the fabric. He hardly noticed, turning back to the wall with the same focused determination, though he kept an ear out for the sound of booted feet.


	10. Chapter 10: When its dark we fear

Special forces soldiers ran through the halls of the ARC, their heavy boots tramping on the metal grilles as they headed out. They'd just left the armoury, EMDs and guns on safety and in their confident grasps and hooked into belts. The SFs took off to assist Matt, a few of them ordered by superiors to split off and assist Becker, Emily and a few of their comrades with rescuing Connor.

Jess sat in front of the ADD, her fears not completely alleviated. She couldn't get ahold of anyone on the coms now: she'd tried, but Becker didn't answer, and neither did Emily. She sighed, biting her lip worriedly, and swiveled back to the computer terminal, fingers flying over the keys as she called up CCTV and maps. To her left, the blackbox signal for Matt was stationary, whilst the Sfs', Becker's and Emily's were steadily moving towards the building she knew Connor, Abby, the clone, and _Helen _were inside, even without having their blackbox signals.

Be careful.

She said silently, taking adeep breath and focusing on hacking into the CCTV by Matt.

* * *

Abby ran her torch light over the walls, searchign for a light switch of some kind.

"I don't know, I can't find it. C'mon, let's just keep going." She turned around, to find that the clone had vanished without making a sound.

"C-" She cursed under her breath. She should have come up with something to call him! "Temple!" There, that was... okay-ish. "Hello?!" She called again, sweaping the beam of her torch around her, trying not to panic. Just because he'd gone missing didn't mean anything... right? She wanted to trust him... Her hand went to the inside pocket, touching the cold metal within it to reassure herself that she would be fine, even if someone snuck up on her.

It wasn't much consolation.

"Temple!" She tried one more time, sighed, and started walking again. There was nothing for it; he would show up eventually, whether for good or ill.

* * *

He didn't know why he had kept going without her. Now he was lost, and his torch's batteries had died. The clone was in the utter darkness, strangely unsettled by it. Abby had been turned away at a fork in the path for a single moment, and he had just kept walking. Like he was on autopilot, or something. But clearly his getting lost had broken whatever trance had come over him.

It was sort of a relief. He would gladly stay lost, if it meant that Abby and her Connor would be OK... but his plan had included him tricking Helen. He bit his lip, trying not to freak out. He didn't know why he felt like this, but beign unable to see in the thick, dense blackness of the space was making him more and more nervous. He didn't like not being able to see. He brought his hand to his face, but from a few inches away he could not see anything. He shook, and shut his eyes tight.

"Abby?!" To anyone who was listening, he would have sounded like a little lost child, calling for a parent.

* * *

Connor frowned, pausing in mid-yank on the chains as he heard a soft, plaintive call. Someone was calling for Abby? That didn't sound like anyone he knew... or did it?! He let go of the chain, brushing the plaster off of his hands again, and stood up, trying to get a look out of the cell. It was pitch-black outside the cell, and there was only a tiny amount of light filtering in through the tiny slit windows inside it. Connor shut that thought out, not letting his claustrophobia and fear of the dark take over again. He could not panic.

"Hello?!" He called, louder, brow furrowed. That voice... however inexplicable it sounded... that voice had been his own! Oh. Oh! Helen had mentioned a Clone! So...

He swallowed hard, unsure if he wanted to meet a clone of himself. And, Connor thought worriedly, where was Abby?!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: The hardest part of writing this is dibs and dabs is that I lose track of what's already happened, who's said what, and all of that. xv

Also, sorry 'bout the loong delay, I've got an unpredictable muse _ but I hope the next update will be much sooner in coming than this one was xV

* * *

The Clone jumped in surprise as he recieved a reply. And even more surprising was that it wasn't Abby who answered him.

Oh.

Oh! He knew that voice, it was the same one he spoke with!

"Connor? No, wait, of course it's you... hold on." The clone was shaking. On one hand, him finding Connor now was a good thing, as it hopefully woudl mean Helen couldn't use him to get to Connor... but on the other hand, the clone was terrified that without abby there, he'd revert back to following Helen's orders.

"You were calling for Abby- what's going on? I thought you were Helen's pet." Connor's voice came from the vaguely lighter patch of space a few feet away. THe clone carefully made his way to it, holding his fears at bay, and reached into his pocket with a shaking hand.

"I... I was. But apparently Helen misjudged the connection between you and your Abby. I... I was ordered to hurt her, and I couldn't. We came to rescue you, but I wandered away from Abby." He explained to Connor, fumbling the small metal key as he tried to find the keyhole in the cell door.

Connor blinked in surprise in the cell, but shrugged.

"You 'ave a key?"

"Yep." His clone popped the 'p' like he did, and Connor almost smiled. This was weird, but at least the cloen was on his side, not against him.

"Will it work on the chain, y'think?"

The clone wasn't sure. He was spared having to answer for the moment as the key slid into the lock, and after a moment of turning it this way and tha,t the door clicked open softly.

The clone stepped into the doorway, keeping part of his body in the way so the door couldn't easily be reclosed on them.

"I don't think it can." He told the man. Connor looked a bit of a sight. He had some bruising on his face, and his wrist was red and raw looking, his hair mussed. Connor's face fell, and he sighed, then shook his head.

"'Kay then, I'll just 'ave ta do this!" He told his clone, yanking at the root of the chain, and the clone watched in surprise as Connor fell backwards with the force of his pull as the chain broke free of the wall, plaster clouding in the air and settling on his skin and hair.

Connor lay on his back and looked up at the clone with a broad grin.

"Bet y' didn't think tha' would work, didya?" The clone shook his head, but couldn't help grinning in response. He gave Connor a hand up, and then moved back to the doorway.

"We should go and find Abby. I don't know where Helen is." The clone's voice was tinged with worry. Connor's eyes widened, and he looked really concerned.

"Right."

Oh, if Helen went anywhere near Abby, he would.. well, she would wish she'd never come back from the dead!

The two identical men (apart from the results of Connor's day in a cell) rushed out of the cell and down the hallway in the opposite direction, finding some sort of confidence together in the pitch darkness that each had lost alone.

Perhaps dealing with a clone of himself wouldn't be as weird as he had feared, Connor mused for a moment, before worry over Abby overtook his thoughts.

* * *

Abby was lost. The hallway she was in had lightened considerably, unless her eyes were just adjusting. She wasn't sure.

Her torch's battery was running low: the light kept flickering in and out, and she hoped she would find Connor, or at the very least, the clone, before the battery died compeltely on her.

"Hello, Abby."


	12. Chapter 12: Helen

AN: As always, thanks for the reviews! :D

* * *

The Clone glanced at Connor, his eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness, and bit his lower lip.

"This wasn't the original plan for your rescue." He admitted. Connor looked at him in surprise, hand on the wall falling still as he paused.

"What?" The cloned looked sheepish.

"The plan was for us to enter, for Abby to hide, and for meself to meet Helen as if I were still under her orders. Abby would then rescue you whilst I distracted Helen. However, when we arrived, all of the lights were out, and Helen was not where she had told me she would be. We became lost, and then separated." The clone was just as anxious as, if not more so than, the real Connor, over Abby. He was worried that she would meet Helen.

"Okay." Connor started walking again, hand trailing along the wall. The Clone was finding the halls more familiar now that his eyes were more adjusted to the darkness, and with the real Connor beside him he was a bit more confident in finding Abby. "Was it just happy accident you found me, or...?" Connor added after a few seconds.

"There's a sort of... link. As if you were a homing beacon for me, to find where you are. I must have subcionsciously followed that to your cell." Connor seemed to digest that information easily enough

* * *

"Helen Cutter" Abby said calmly, without turning around to face the woman. Abby had managed to hide how startled she'd been, faking nonchalance in her acknowledgement of Helen's presence.

"I'm quite surprised to see you here, but I can make this work. Clearly my Clone has failed; I'll regret destroying him later." Helen said, and Abby could almost hear the smirk in the woman's voice, just as easily as she could tell that Helen did not really regret that at all. She didn't answer Helen's goading words. "I might add that there is a Taser in my hand, and I'd prefer it if you were conscious." For what, Abby had no idea, but she didn't want to be tasered, so she reluctantly turned, glaring at Helen. The woman waved the sparking device in her hand.

"Good. Now, start walking."

* * *

Connor suddenly pulled the Clone aside, yanking him out of the main hall and into an alcove. He put a hand over his duplicate's mouth when the clone started protesting, and he slowly fell silent.

A few seconds later, two Cleaner Clones passed by, stomping and looking forwards, not glancing into the alcove but walking right through the spot they'd been standing in moments ago. Connor waited a few measures of heartbeats, until he was sure that the Cleaner Cloens were far enoguh away, and then released the clone, who smiled sheepishly at Connor.

"Thank you. I did not remember Helen's other clones, and I'm glad tha' you did."

"No problem. C'mon, we've got to find Abby!" Connor replied, grabbing the Clone's hand and taking off at a run. The clone nodded, and started running as well.

* * *

TBC


End file.
